Most P&S cameras have their closest macro position at full wide angle. This not only means you have to get very close to your object, but you also have all the negative lens effects from the full wide angle to deal with and if you need the flash it will mostly not illuminate the full object since part of it is covered by the lens tube.
The Sony HX9V has, as the HX5, a minimum distance from 50 mm or 2" to shoot macro.
With the Super Macro you can zoom up to 2.4 x with the HX5 and, as confirmed by a user, also the HX9V and the camera still focus sharp at the same 50 mm or 2".
That means the real closest distance is 20 mm or 0.8"

I would love to show you some HX9V samples of this function, but I need your help. If you have a HX9V and manage a nice Super Macro shot, please send me the link the comments so I can post the result here.

I had some problems to get her sharp from the front since she kept moving. I used the high speed scene mode for continuous focusing and overcompensated a bit with the sharpening in pp.

Joe, no the HX9V does not have the miniature effect but the next model should have it since it has been introduced with the 5 months younger NEX-C3.

Bernd it should work in most photo modes (I mostly use the P mode often with forced flash) see: http://hx5v.blogspot.com/2010/05/sony-hx5-macro-zoom.html for how I did the measurements and photos to give you an idea.

As a user of the HX5 the step up to the HX9V is not that essential since I already have most functions and the HX9V is still no where to be seen here - there is also that I am looking towards to meet the A77 - but if a gold HX9V should cross my part I am not sure if I could resist if the price is right...

2011 the year Nippon awoke Godzilla

Last Millennium Nippon (Japan) was for me the land of robots, monsters like Godzilla and made in Japan what replaced the quality seal made in Germany.

Who would have ever imagined the there came a day when Nippon would awake Godzilla for real.

If you might recall, one of Godzilla´s attributes was his Atomic Breath what now covers parts of this planet.

When in 2010 the Gulf Oil disaster happened I tried to figure out if it could impact Europe directly. So I started a blog to collect my findings. You still can find that blog in my HX5 blog link list if you care.

With Fukushima not well covered in the mainstream and a measurable fallout already on my islands I like to share with you important facts what will in the long run impact your life.

Be aware that there are people around who think the story of Radioactive Man is real and that radiation can be good for you, there is also the counter part who thinks we are all doomed and embellish the other way. As usual the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Also I have to tell you how proud I am to be in the European Union who takes so good care of their members like instantly rising, when Japan asked, the allowed radioactive dosis for food substantially and the German speaking states censor now The Simpsons when they try to raise awareness make fun how negligent people are around nuclear power.

People over Japan and also the USA measuring and reporting actual radiation data via safecast.org.

Over 35 years old still up to date:
KRAFTWERK - RADIO-ACTIVITYchange Hiroshima to Fukushima

On a personal note, you know the most bleeped out word on American television is fuck as South Park so nicely demonstrated with the Human CentiPad episode. It is used if something is not right. In Germany scheisse (shit) has the same function. For me FUK (from FUKushima) is starting to replace the old swear words for something that is terrible wrong but I can not do anything about it.

2012-03-11
Fukushima is constantly poisoning Japan and the rest of the whole planet now for over one year in the name of profit and total moronic ignorance and incompetence.